J.R. Smith Tries Same Trick After Reported Warning

Detroit’s Greg Monroe would not let Knicks guard J.R. Smith untie his shoe while his teammate shot a free throw.

Not long after untying Mavs forward Shawn Marion’s shoe as Dirk Nowitzki shot a free throw, Smith was caught putting his hand very close to the Pistons forward’s shoes in the first quarter. But Monroe moved his foot away and avoided Smith while Josh Smith was at the foul line.

Smith reached down during the free throw despite getting “interrogated by the NBA” and receiving a “warning” over untying Marion’s shoe prior to the Knicks’ win over the Pistons, Marc Berman of the New York Post reported citing an unnamed industry source. Steve Popper of The Bergen Record also reported that Smith received a warning.

Knicks coach Mike Woodson said that he planned on speaking to Smith about the incident before the game.

“He shouldn’t be doing stuff like that,” Woodson said, per Ohm Youngmisuk of ESPNNewYork.com. “I’m going to talk to him a little more about it when I get in there. His focus should just be on playing basketball. That’s what it’s about and those are things you just don’t do. You think you’ve seen it all and something creeps in.”